


eye for an eye

by kona (charliebones)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Awkward Boners, Awkward Sexual Situations, Forced, Gay Panic, Human, M/M, Magic, Tiefling, Tsunderes, Voyeurism, accidental magic, compelling, piss mention, scorpio 4 cancer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-08-16 03:27:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20179804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charliebones/pseuds/kona
Summary: bishop can't control his powers sometimes. this time, talmage is the victim.





	eye for an eye

**Author's Note:**

  * For [emiOCs](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=emiOCs).

> this fic is a half-birthday present, half-attack I wrote for @emiOCs during our friend group's ARTFITE in 2019. talmage is emi's OC, and luci belongs to ashley.

A glass shattered on the floor, shooting foamy liquid in all directions. The noise cut through the entire room, momentarily silencing all the patrons of the poorly lit tavern, before most of them grunted or shrugged and simply continued on as if nothing had interrupted them in the first place.

“_Luci. _” 

An extraordinarily large and golden tanned man—though one might not have immediately assumed _ human _ by virtue of his sheer size, or the massive white wings folded behind his back—stood up suddenly from a table in the corner of the tavern. At full height, his blonde mane of hair nearly displaced the shitty candelabra chandelier above the table, but he had spent enough time in this part of the world to safely hold his frame so as not to constantly be taken out by the smaller proportions of everything around him. However, he had yet to become properly adjusted to fashion or the area’s climate, and therefore lacked any clothing on his body safe for a pair of sharply cut leather shorts, which he adjusted upon standing.

To any stranger looking on, it would have appeared that this towering man was about to grab his human companion at the table by the scruff of his collar, but those who knew him better understood that he was a restrained man and tended to use his words and negotiate over direct violence. At least that was what everyone who knew him _ wanted _to believe.

The young human man he was making direct eye contact with shifted uncomfortably in his seat but spoke with a tone that lacked any proper respect.

“What.”

“That’s the second glass you’ve broken tonight.”

“Uh huh.”

“You should—” The imposing man abruptly stopped himself. “Aren’t you worried about getting us kicked out?”

“Bishop, if you’re sooo worried, why don’t you jus’ tell me to _ stop _?” The young man leaned back with his arms around the back of the bench he was occupying, as if daring the larger man to do something about it.

Bishop’s eyebrows twitched reflexively at this comment. “You know I can’t—I _ won’t _ do that, Luci.”

Luci let out a huff and kicked his feet up onto the table, nearly spilling another drink onto the lap of the pink tiefling next to him, who instantly pricked up irritated.

“God—Luci, we’re not in your fucking tent at the circus, get your feet off the table! I _ don’t _ want to look at your feet!” The pink tiefling barked at him.

“Doesn’t work when you do it, Talmage,” the young man replied quietly into his drink, glancing at the pink tiefling out of the corner of his eye just so he could see the anger bubble to the surface on his companion’s face. He kept his feet up on the table.

If it were possible for Talmage to turn any darker shade of pink, he would be burning deep magenta. He scowled at Luci and grabbed his drink before shifting himself away from Luci’s feet. Bishop put his hands on his hips, signaling both his disappointment and exhaustion, before bending over to gingerly pick up the broken shards of glass.

“I’m going to bed,” he said stiffly and stood up, careful not to grip the broken glass in his large, rough hands. He looked over at the pink tiefling. “Talmage,” he started very seriously.

“_What? _”

Bishop jerked his head over at Luci who was currently picking the dirt out from underneath his fingernails with one of his many knives.

“What do you _ want _me to do, Bishop?” Talmage asked flatly, taking a drag from his drink to avoid locking eyes with Bishop, a man so large and powerful he could snap Talmage’s spine in half with his fingers, if he wanted to.

Bishop growled in frustration, his own voice sounding tired and slurred from too many drinks himself. He put a hand over his forehead. “Look—I don’t know—_ can you just keep an eye on Luci _—”

Instantly, something invisible tickled at the back of Talmage’s neck; it felt as though someone were painlessly reaching their fingers into his spinal cord just and giving it an unsettling and threatening tug.

At the same instant, the bar owner hollered at them. “You gonna _ pay _ for that, big man?” 

Bishop sighed and turned towards the bar to go pay for the broken glass, leaving the two at the table.

“Oh _ MY GOD _—he didn’t even—DOES HE KNOW WHAT HE JUST DID.”

Talmage started rubbing the back of his neck, half embarrassed and half furious. He stood up and started to move towards the bar, but his head jerked backwards as soon as he looked away from Luci.

“Ah, FUCK!” He rubbed his neck, wincing at the self-administered whiplash.

“What are you doingggg…” Luci slurred absentmindedly watching him from the table. He now had two drinks in his hands, one of them being Talmage’s.

Talmage opened his mouth to cuss him out for taking his drink, for being a general _ prat _ , for getting so piss drunk— _ this was all his fucking fault, _ Talmage thought to himself, grinding his sharp teeth together. He tried in vain to close his eyes, to forget that he was standing stupidly in the middle of this tavern as patrons looked drunkenly at him, eyeing his sheer black clothes and long pink tail curiously, but his eyes wouldn’t shut. His gaze was locked on Luci’s _ stupid drunk face _. Talmage grimaced and, in a moment of brilliance, successfully shut one eye.

“AHA! FUCK YOU, BISHOP!” Talmage shouted triumphantly.

The entire tavern hushed once more, all eyes on him, before they collectively shrugged once more, seemingly disinterested in the pink tiefling standing with his arms raised pathetically above his head. He quickly realized the very pointless accomplishment of having shut one of his eyes.

_ At least, _ he thought, _ I can’t _ fucking _ see anyone staring at me right now _, Talmage thought depressively. 

“Are you _ winking _ at me, Talmage,” Luci droned from the bench, his body slouching dangerously low underneath the table. “Youuu look like a shitty pirate.”

If Talmage were a god-fearing man, he would have, at this point, asked some omnipotent being to strike him down, right there, if only to end his suffering immediately. He had quickly calculated the gravity of the situation he was in and could not be more livid. By this time, Bishop was certainly long gone, and it wasn’t as though Talmage could go looking for him in his current state. Dread seeped into his stomach as he could only stand frozen on the spot and helplessly glare at Luci who merely glanced at him, oblivious.

“I’m gonna—” Luci hiccuped audibly, “go to the bathroom.”

“God—fuck, you’re kidding, right. You’re fucking KIDDING me right now! Let me just rip out my goddamn eyes, oh my fucking SWEET GOD.”

Luci ignored Talmage’s mental breakdown, having become used to his outbursts by this point in their relationship, and slipped ungracefully out from behind the table, stumbling towards the general direction of the bathroom. As he moved past the pink tiefling, Talmage’s neck rotated as if being spun by an invisible hand, tracking Luci’s movements. He resisted this involuntarily action initially, but the pain in his muscles forced him to turn his head, his eyes still locked unceasingly on the drunken man bumping his way through the tables to the bathroom. 

As soon as Luci started to round the corner out of sight, Talmage felt that same involuntary force of will compelling him to keep his unblinking eyes on Luci, and his body lurched forward to his own dismay. His legs marched him all the way to the bathroom, up behind Luci to the stall, until Luci noticed Talmage’s hot angry breath on his neck and spun around, startled. 

“Woah—what the hell, Talmage,” Luci breathed, taking a step back and almost falling into the toilet.

“It’s not—I CAN’T—godfuckshit—” Talmage screamed incoherently at him. “BISHOP! BISHOP FUCKING FIX THIS, YOU ASSHOLE, I’M GOING TO—”

“M’ name’s Luci, dummy…” Luci slurred back at him confused. “Why’re you in my…” Luci drew a wobbly circle in the air with his finger as if to indicate an invisible personal bubble.

One of Talmage’s eyes twitched. Uncontrollably, he started laughing at Luci, at himself, at this ridiculous situation. 

“Cool! Nice! This is REALLY FUNNY!” Talmage laughed pathetically. It was not funny.

Talmage took a breath as Luci steadied himself against the stall, head bobbing slightly. 

“Din’t kno’ you were a perv like this, Talmage.” Luci grinned, laughing at his own joke. His face shifted suddenly. “Wait, ew, _ gross _, is...weird now.”

“I’m NOT—_ listen _ , Bishop kind of drunkenly _ used his stupid sphinx powers on me, and now I can’t—I have to— _”

Luci stared at him blankly.

“Talmugh, pleese go ‘way I need to pee, ‘n maybe...throw up...” Luci whined, his eyelids suddenly heavy and unfocused.

“FINE! Just fucking do it, Luci.” Talmage threw up his hands in defeat.

“I can’t _ do it _ with you standing there, watchin’ me…thas gay,” Luci groaned, holding one hand on his pants. Talmage wished to any god, any made-up fairy tale deity, that he could look away. It was like pure _ instinct _for him to look away when he was uncomfortable, to make a crap joke—mostly to make himself feel better—have it die in the water, and leave the situation promptly like he’d always done. And now that one safety blanket had been unceremoniously ripped away from him. 

Talmage grabbed Luci by the shoulders to shake some sense into him. 

“Luci. I _ cannot physically _look away from you right now, see?” 

Talmage started turn his head, but his gaze slid sideways still keeping a lock on Luci from the corners of his eyes. 

“Whaddaya mean you can’t look away, jus’ go away,” Luci protested, slapping at Talmage’s hands weakly before putting his full weight on the rickety stall door, his other hand still clutching his pants.

Talmage swallowed, his hand reaching up instinctively to cover his mouth. Distractedly he couldn’t help but note the heavy liquor hanging on Luci’s breath, his mussed up midnight black hair with the distinctive forehead curl, his lidded half-moon shaped eyelids blinking back at him, the tight fabric of his crop top against his chest, and the curved shape underneath where he was palming himself desperately. Talmage momentarily berated himself. _ Why am I thinking about * _ that* _ at a time like this? _

Maybe, just _ maybe _ , in a different time, in a different scenario, this _ might _ have become something resembling a hookup. While he’d be lying if he hadn’t thought about doing that with Luci—no. This was _ not _ what he needed right now, and he certainly wasn’t in control of the situation, much less himself, enough to shepherd this dumb twink through his first gay awakening on the floor of this disgusting public bathroom, he decided. He shook his head to clear his mind.

“Luci, _ I swear to god _ , I can’t. I already explained _ what Bishop did _ , would you just go already _ so I can go fucking die upstairs _ ” _ — _ Talmage paused to laugh nervously— “ _ after I _ kill _ Bishop personally— _” 

Before Talmage could finish, Luci had already started to turn towards the toilet, reaching his hands into his pants.

Luci groaned and called over his shoulder. “Jus’ don’t _look _at my dick, m’kay? He didn’t say you had to do _that_, did he?”

Talmage slapped Luci up the backside of his head. “Fuck. You.”

As if on some horrible sitcom cue, the door to the bathroom creaked open and another patron stumbled in drunkenly. Unfortunately, this bathroom just so happened to be the dingy kind with no doors on the stalls. The stranger stumbled past the two of them where they stood awkwardly shoved into one stall. He glanced at Talmage, giving him a long once-over, not that Talmage could _ see _ him, but, oh god could he _ feel _ the man’s eyes on him. Having once been in a stall like this before at some other bar with some other boy—though certainly _ never _ like his current bizarre circumstances—Talmage knew exactly what _ that _ look of judgment meant. The man gave a gruff “ _ hmph _” and forced his way into the stall next door. 

Talmage wished desperately to close his eyes, and he had half a mind to go over and yell at the man (not that he could, in his current state), like, _ what. What’s wrong with two guys sharing a stall. This isn’t even gay! I _ know _ what gay shit looks like! _ Talmage laughed miserably at his own terrible joke.

“Talmage, could you a’ lease back up a lil, you’re too close,” Luci whined, looking over his shoulder.

“Oh god, don’t tell me you’re getting stage fright,” Talmage covered sarcastically, before realizing the stupidity of how close he was standing behind Luci. After all, Bishop’s command implied that he only needed to be within eyesight of Luci; he needn’t be right on top of him. 

Talmage backed up against the wall of the bathroom, a second wave of embarrassment washing over him while the man in the stall next over guffawed at their exchange of words that Talmage realized must have sounded hilarious out of context. _ Enjoy the bathroom entertainment _ , Talmage thought miserably. _ It’s fucking free, asshole! _

Luci relieved himself eventually as Talmage mused over the many ways in which he was going to chew Bishop out for this, how he was _ clearly abusing _his powers, and—

A loud ceramic thump echoed from the stall in front of him, and the toilet in the stall next over flushed. Talmage, who had been slowly closing one eye at a time to grant his poor eyes some relief, started at the noise. Somehow, Luci had collapsed forward towards the toilet bowl and then straight onto the floor. Talmage rushed forward into the stall once again.

“Idiot.”

“Tripped,” Luci managed to mumble out before he rolled over onto his back and sat up slowly. 

“I saw that,” Talmage replied dryly. “Nice balance for a guy who juggles knives all day.”

“You kno’ whad…you’re sooo obvious, Talmage,” Luci began, before struggling to pull his pants up while still sitting on the floor.

“_What _? Shut. Up. Luci. You’re drunk.” Talmage stood up and, looking down, realized what Luci was still trying to do. “Oh, GOD DAMMIT!” 

Talmage tried to back up once again, but stumbled and tripped over his own feet this time in his haste. Luci laughed at him, all while still sitting shitfaced on the dirty bathroom floor, his pants below his waist. He fell on his ass against the wall opposite the stalls, his neck twisting painfully to keep his eyes on Luci.

“Ahahaha, you looked at my dickkk, Talmage,” Luci laughed, before realizing the reality of his words and uttered a soft “oh” at himself. “Hey, dun look, thas gay.” 

Luci flushed a deep red, matching the color of his dark scarlet crop top.

“It’s _ not my fault _you’re too drunk to pee without falling over the goddamn toilet, pants around your ass with your dick on display for everyone to see!” 

The man in the next stall exited and walked between Talmage and Luci, glancing at them both with a disapproving frown before he continued towards the exit.

“What?!” Talmage snarled at the man, not looking at him, which must have appeared strange because it looked as though he was yelling at Luci, or perhaps the toilet. “Never seen a dude with his pants around his ankles lying on the ground of a filthy bathroom floor before?”

The man lazily flipped him off before making his way out of the bathroom.

“_Prick _. Mind your own business,” Talmage muttered under his breath. “Didn’t even wash his hands.”

“You’re the one sittin’ on the grooossss bathroom floor, Talmage,” Luci said, blindly confident as always. He had miraculously managed to get himself to a standing position and was tucking himself back into his pants.

“Would you _ STOP _saying my name every fucking time you open your idiot mouth—” Talmage started but decided to spend the rest of his angry energy towards pulling himself up off of the bathroom floor. 

Luci shrugged and pushed past Talmage to the sinks, while Talmage’s eyes reluctantly followed him. When he had finished and bumbled his way back over to the pink tiefling, Talmage stopped him.

“Alright, well, this has been _ absolutely exhilarating _ , but can we _ please _ go find Bishop now?” Talmage groaned at Luci, desperate and thoroughly _ done _ with this night, this week, this entire month for that matter.

“Yeaaa...fine.” Luci huffed. “What if he’s asleep, though. You gonna watch me sleep all night?” He pondered this, frowning at the idea.

The urge to look away came again, but the same unsettling painful sensation coursed up Talmage’s neck to his head and tickled his ears. 

“Yeah, bet you would like that, ‘_ straight boy _,’” Talmage said bitterly through gritted teeth.

“Hey—HEY!” Luci protested. “That’s…heterophobic. But ‘mm not, gay...”

“I’m _ genuinely _ impressed you managed to correctly get that _ big _ word out.”

Luci stuck out his tongue immaturely, having run out of quips to lash back with. Talmage let out an exasperated snarl before dragging Luci by the arm out of the bathroom and up the steps to their shared bedroom. Their other companions Rocco, Raja, and Bishop were currently asleep. Roughly tossing Luci towards the empty bed in the corner, Talmage started to turn towards Bishop, before quickly realizing his error. Cursing under his breath, he walked backwards towards Bishop’s bed, keeping his eyes dutifully on Luci who was now laying ungracefully on the bed, ass in the air. 

“_Bishop! _ ” Talmage hissed in a low whisper, twisting his neck as far as he could without losing sight of Luci. “_Wake up! _”

Hearing no response from the sleeping lump behind him, Talmage kicked his foot backwards angrily into what he hoped was Bishop’s chest.

“OW, what the—!” Bishop sat up suddenly, smashing his head into the ceiling of the bunk he shared with Rocco.

“WHAT’S WRONG!! _ IS IT THE VALE?!?! _” 

Talmage felt Rocco hit him before he could see him, and they both collapsed into a pile of blue and pink tiefling limbs. At this loud commotion, Raja had also woken up in the bed above Luci. She hissed at them and threw her pillow at Talmage’s face. 

Grimacing from the pain in his eyes twitching to stay open and locked onto Luci, Talmage pushed Rocco’s sprawling body off of him. 

“What is the _ meaning _ of this, Talmage,” Bishop began, now standing at his full height next to Talmage and gently rubbing the top of his head. 

“What is the _ MEANING OF THIS??? _” Talmage could scream. He did. It was the only thing he could think to do.

“C-calm down, Talmage!!! WHY ARE YOU YELLING!!?” Rocco was now also yelling.

“I swear to Aedith AND Alodia, I will come down there and silence _ each of you personally _, if you do not shut up and go back to sleep,” Raja threatened from her bunk, her voice muffled into the mattress.

Talmage stood up, intending to grab Bishop by the scruff of his shirt, that is, he could have if Bishop _ wore _shirts, but he didn’t. And given that Talmage was only tall enough to reach just above Bishop’s hips, he ended up grabbing the nearest part of Bishop that he could reach, which was Bishop’s waistband. With his eyes still on Luci, Talmage realized how pointless and confusing this threat must have looked and instantly released his hold on Bishop’s lorts.

“LISTEN, would you _ just _tell me to STOP LOOKING AT LUCI so I can go the fuck to bed!” Talmage whispered at Bishop, still unable to look at him.

“Why _ are _ you staring at Luci, Talmage?” Rocco asked quizzically, scratching the back of his head and looking between Luci and Talmage. 

“Shut. Up. Rocco.” 

“Jeez, sorry, it’s just _ REALLY WEIRD _ AND A LITTLE CREEPY, TALMAGE,” Rocco half-whispered, half-shouted at him, cupping his hand over the side of his mouth as if it would block Luci from hearing him. 

Talmage sank down onto his stomach, willing himself to plant his forehead on the floor in defeat, but his body refused to remove his gaze from Luci’s ass which was still stuck up in the air.

“_Please _, Bishop.”

“I don’t understand—oh,” Bishop said, but quickly remembered his error. “Oh no, Talmage, I’m so sorry, I didn’t—”

“JUST HURRY UP AND _ COMMAND ME, _ RIGHT NOW!” 

“Wow, am I really _ that _ugleee to you, Talmugh,” Luci’s complained from his bunk.

Bishop ignored Luci. “Right, s-sorry, uh. Talmage, look away from Luci,” Bishop commanded.

Talmage felt that familiar unsettling feeling on the back of his neck again, which seemed to hover just above the Vale brand on his skin, as it reached in once more and—_ click! _—like a switch going off in his brain. He immediately let his forehead fall with relief onto the cool floor of the room.

“Well, if you four are done fucking about, can we _ please _ go back to sleep before I change my mind and breathe fire at _ all of you _,” hissed Raja once more from her bunk.

As everyone returned to their respective bunks, Luci rolled over, half-asleep and looked at Talmage lying face-down on the floor.

“Aww…does this mean you can’t lookit me anymore, Talmage,” Luci warbled, with a hint of disappointment in his voice. “You needa be more...specccific with Bishop.”

“_You need to be more specific with Bishop _ ,” Talmage repeated mockingly into the ground. Luci didn’t retort back, but Talmage refused to let this drunken smartass have the last word. “I _ will _kill you, Luci,” Talmage wheezed, his face still pressed to the floor.

“How’re you gonna do that ifff you can’t _ see _me,” Luci giggled and flipped his head into his pillow with a loud snore. 

Irritated, and summoning the last of his energy out of pure spite, Talmage drew and flicked a knife at Luci’s head, but instead it landed in the wall just above Luci’s ass where it remained sadly stuck, as he had forgotten to use his magical returning dagger.

“Miss me,” Luci taunted, before he let out another snore and flopped his body over, facing away from Talmage.

Unwilling to get up and climb into bed with anyone out of shame, Talmage grabbed the nearby pillow that Raja had thrown at him and curled up into a ball on the floor. It wasn’t the first time that he found himself sleeping on the ground, cold and angry with only a pillow for comfort. For several hours longer, he lay awake processing every single miserable thing that had just happened to him. Talmage just prayed that Luci was blackout enough that he wouldn’t remember anything come morning. When sleep _ thankfully _ took him and he finally shut his eyes, Talmage dreamt of a private fantasy, a fantasy where he managed to put a muzzle around Bishop just like the one he’d seen in the memory with Kairos.


End file.
